Clutch control means



July 11, 1950 H. GANG CLUTCH CONTROL MEANS 4 She'efs-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 19, 1948 July 11, 1950 H GANG CLUTCH CONTROL MEANS 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 19, 1948 Ihwentor b P/Vfl/V -6/4/V6 Gttorneg w/ r/wsss yaw/W W July 11, 1950 H. GANG cwrca com-" 01, mus

4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Aug. 19, 1948 W/T/VESS Patented July 11, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLUTCH CONTROL MEANS Herman Gang, Livingston, N. J assignor to Monroe Calculating, Machine Company, Orange, N. J a corporation of Delaware Application August 19, 1948, Serial No.45.118

7 Claims. l

The invention has relation to key coupling control mechanism for calculating machines, and consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, as set forth in the appended claims.

The invention is shown as applied to a calculating machine constructed in accordance with the disclosure of United States Patent No. 2,419,760, issued to Edwin F. Britten, Jr., on April 29, 1947, as modified by the disclosure of patent application Serial No. 8,548, filed February 16, 1948, by the present applicant, a brief outline of such application of the invention being set forth as follows:

A primary selectively engageable clutch is provided for determining the sign of the registration and alternatively to determine the direction of shift of the register carriage. This clutch is engaged under control of registration and shifting :motor operation keys, and a coupling is provided in the train between said keys and the primary clutch, to provide for stopping of the operation While a key is held manually depressed. Multie plication and division may be eiiected b means of these keys, a registration key being held down until the desired number of cycles has been counted or until automatic stopping is effected, whereupon a shift key is depressed, usually to effect a single step shift. Because it is not necese sary to count the cycles of operation of the shifting mechanism, the shift key is usually operated by a quick touch, and the operator is likely to redepress a registration key before the coupling is reengaged, the coupling having been broken by the stopping operation following release of the shift key. As such machines have been constructed heretofore, such ultra rapid operation will result in failure of the machine to respond to depression of the registration key, and the present invention proposes, among other things, to pro.- vide for rapid operation by preventing uncoupling after manual release of the shift key.

Obviously, the invention is not limited to the specific application above outlined, since-the functions of the various mechanisms associated with the several operation keys are not material.

Inthe accompanying drawings illustrating the invention,

Fig. l is a right side elevation of a calculating machine embodying the invention, with the casing removed;

Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of a sectional rock shaft;

Fig. 3 is a detail left side elevation of the care i e i t control me ha s Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of the motor drive and carriage shift mechanisms;

Fig. 5 is a detail plan view of the toggle linkage and associated parts controlling registration and carriage shift;

Fig. 6 is a detail left side elevation of the primary clutch and associated parts;

Fig. 7 is a left side elevation of the machine, with casing removed.

Registration and carriage shifting Power from electric motor I (Fig. 4) is transmitted through primary clutch I05 and gear 355 to a pair of connected drums 352, 353 forming elements of two friction clutches which may be alternatively engaged to effect registration and shifting of the carriage respectively. The clutch I 05 is constructed in accordance with the disclosure of United States Patent No. 1,566,650, issued on December 22, 1925, to George C. Chase. Briefly the clutch comprises a differential gearing, the elements Hi5 and I89 of which normally rotate idl in opposite directions. The cooperat ing element of the clutch comprises a rocker HI, displaceable in one direction from a central neutral position to bring an arm H4 thereof into engagement with a lug of gear element Hi5, so that said element is held and the output gear of the differential is driven in a direction providing for plus registration or for shifting of the carriage toward the right. Movement of rocker l l l in the opposite direction will bring arm i3 thereof into engagement with a member I it fast with the differential gear element 169, holding said element against rotation and eifecting rotation of the output gear of the diiierential in a reverse direction, to provide for minus registration or shifting of the carriage toward the left.

Clutch drums 352 and 353 (Fig. 4) are con-.- nected by a sleeve 354, movable laterally to compress the friction disks of the registration clutch 352 or the shift clutch 353 respectively. A driven element of clutch 352 is fast with drive shaft 350 which has connection through gearing M (Fig. l) with the differential actuators 5 which are settable in known manner to control the entry of values into register I3. The driven element of clutch 353 is fast with a gear having intermediate gear connection with a gear 351 (Fig. l) fast upon a worm shaft 319. Carriage shifting worm 353 is also fast on shaft 319, this worm being engaged by spring urged plunger 359 mounted in the register carriage 2.

Normally, registration clutch 352 is held in en.- gagement by a .toggle linkage 362 (Fig. v5) this linkage being pivotally connected to one end of a lever 366, said lever being connected at its other end to the frame of the machine through a link 36I, and being provided with anti-friction rollers engaging flanges of the sleeve 364. A spring 364 attached to the linkage 36I, holds the clutch 362 engaged under Spring tension. Upon breaking of the toggle 362 a spring 363, attached to lever 366 will shift the sleeve 364 toward the left (toward the right in Figs. 4 and 5) disengaging the clutch 352 and engaging the shift clutch 353.

Manual operation control Manual control of registering and shifting' op erations is effected by selective depression and release of four motor operation keys; that is to say: Plus and minus registration operation keys,-

adapted to be held in depressed positionby the operator to determine the number of registering cycles to be performed, such keys being commonly designated as plus and minus bars. Auxiliary keys operable to disengage the actuator clutch and to engage the carriage shift clutch, are adapted to depress the plus and minus bars, respectively, to determine the direction of shift, such keys being designated right and left shift keys.

The plus bar I26 and minus bar I2I (Fig. 1) are connected by links I23 with an arm I24 fast upon a composite rock shaft I25, I25a, this shaft extending across the machine and being provided at its left hand end with an arm I26 (Fig. 6) having coupling connection I21 with a setting plate I28. Setting plate I28 is provided with opposed lugs I29 lying upon either side of a tooth I36 of rocker III, so that depression of one of the keys I26, I2I will rock shaft I25, I25a, and, through plate I26 will move rocker III from neutral position to engage the arm H3 or |I4 with the related elements of the primary clutch.

Upon release of key I26 or I2I, the primary clutch will be disengaged as follows: Upon depression of the key and rocking of setting plate I26 (Fig. 7), one of two opposed cam faces of said plate will depress the rearward end of a lever I34 (Fig. '1) carrying a pawl I36, mounted upon said lever into position with a lug of said pawl underlying a lug of a trigger 3I. Upon release of the key, plate I28 will be centralized and the rear end of lever I34 will rise under spring bias, carrying pawl I36 against the lug of trigger 3| and thereby raising the trigger. Normally trigger 3| holds a spring pressed pawl 25 out of engagement with a rock lever 22, connected by link 2| with a crank arm of shaft 356. It will be observed that as long as registering clutch 352 is engaged, rock lever 22 will be reciprocated, and upon release of pawl 25 by trigger 3|, said pawl will fall into engagement with the rock lever, thereby couplin said lever with a stopping or clutch releasing arm 24 upon which pawl 25 is mounted. Arm 24 will thus be reciprocated with rock lever 22 and a rearward extension of arm 24 will be lifted, bringing a cam portion I45 of said extension into contact with a pin on the rocker III and centralizing said rocker to disengage the primary clutch. The clutch having been disengaged, a spring I29 will restore arm 24 to normal position, thereby carrying rock lever 22 to its rearward position, corresponding to the full cycle position of the difierential actuators 5. As arm 24 returns to normal, 2. lug of pawl 25 will engage the end of trigger 3| and the pawl will be lifted out of engagement with rock lever 22.

Differential actuating mechanism 5, being freed rollers separated for the remainder of the operation. As the registration is terminated, toggle 423 will be tripped by the forward movement of stopping arm 24, said arm being connected by link 424 (Fig. '7).with a crank 425 of a shaft 426, said shaft extending across the machine and bein provided at its right hand end with link connection 421 (Fig. 1) with a shaft 42%], upon which is mounted a finger 429 movable against a joint of the toggle as arm 24 moves forward. The toggle being broken, the spring urged arms 422, 422a, acting through the locator cam I53, will move the differential actuating mechanism 5 to and hold it in full cycle position.

In controlling the shifting of the register carriage, depression of right shift key 369 will bring a shoulder of the key stem into contact with a pin 391 of the plus bar I26 thereby depressing the plus bar and effecting engagement of arm |I4 (Fig. 6) of rocker I II with the differential gear element I65. Similarly, depression of left shift key 316 will bring a lug of the key stem into contact with a pin 396 of minus bar I2I, carrying this bar downward and effecting engagement of arm H3 of rocker III with clutch memberlID. Thus the output gear of the primary clutch differential will be driven in one or the other direction respectively. Further, depression of right shift key 369 or left shift key 316 will break the toggle 362, to disengage the registration clutch 352 and engage the carriage shift clutch 353. This is effected by an intermediately pivoted lever 36B engaged at its forward end by the stems of the keys 369, 316 and having pivotal connection at its rear end with a bar 361, guided at its upper end by slot engagement with a shaft 365. A tooth of bar 361 underlies a laterally bent lug of an arm 439 fast upon shaft 365, said shaft having also fast thereupon a finger 366 (Figs. 4 and 5) engaging a lug of one of the links of toggle 362. Therefore, depression of one of the shift keys will rock lever 368 and shaft 365, and finger 366 will break the toggle 362.

Certain other controls are necessary in effecting the shifting operation, since the carriage shifting worm must be freed from a normal location means when the operation is initiated, and at the end of the operation provision must be madefor disengaging the primary clutch I65, and the toggle 362 must be restored to its normal position. To effect these operations a twophase shift control clutch 31| (Fig. 3) is provided, said clutch being engaged for a partial operation upon breaking of toggle 362 and being again engaged to complete its cycle of movement upon termination of the shift.

The driving element of the clutch has direct gearing connection with the motor I, and the clutch pawl mounted upon the driven element of the clutch is normally held out of engagement with the driving element, against the bias of its spring by detent 442, engaging the pawl through a cutaway portion ofthe clutch housing.

When toggle 362 is broken to initiate a shift a link 316 connected to a crank extension of one of the toggle links will be moved to the right as shown in Figures 4 and 5, thereby rocking a pair of bell crank levers 440, 44!. Bell crank lever 44! engages the detent 442 and in the movement of link 316 will move said detent away from the clutch pawl against the tension of spring 453, thus permitting engagement of the. clutch 31!. An intermediately pivoted detent 313 normally rests at its lower end against, the housing of clutch 31!, and is provided at its upper end with an anti-friction roller normally engaging a notch of a disk 3.86 as shown in Fig. '7. Disk 386 is splined upon the worm shaft 319, and the engagement of the anti-friction roller of detent 313 in the. notch of said disk will prevent rotation of the shifting worm 358 and will consequently hold the register carriage 2 in laterally adjusted position. Upon partial rotation of clutch 31! (Fig. 3), detent 313 will be forced through the aperture of the clutch housing by a spring 450 attached to a tripping arm 33! having pin and slot connection with said detent. This movement of detent 313 will effect release of clutch 31! and will remove the antifriotion roller from the notch of disk 386, freeing worm 358 to effect lateral movement of register carriage 2', this position of the parts being illustrated in Figure 3 of the drawings. Upon release of the shift key 369 or 316 by the operator, spring 452 (Fig. 1) will rock shaft 36.5 to provide for reengagement of clutch 31! as follows. Disk 386 is connected by a sleeve with a second disk 318, normally held toward the left as viewed in Figure 4 against the bias of a spring by an arm 311 of link 316. Upon breaking of the toggle 362, arm 311 will be moved to the right, but disk 318 will now be engaged by an arm 383 fixed upon shaft 365, so that the disks 318 and 386 will remain held in the position illustrated in Figure 4 until shaft 365 is rocked upon release of the shift key. Thereupon these disks will move to the right and a pin 38!! fixed in the disk 3% will be brought into the plane of a cam extension of tripping arm 38!. As the register carriage 2 is shifted into its new position by worm 358, pin 38!! will contact with tripping arm 38!, putting detent 313 under the tension of a spring 45! connecting the detent and tripping arm and thereby providing for movement of the anti-friction roller of the detent into the notch of disk 386 as the parts arrive in normal position, thus rockingv detent 313 clockwise to allow reengagement of clutch 31!.

The rise of the depressed shift key and the related key I26 or I2! will permit rocking of lever I34 and the tripping of stopping pawl 25, but since rock lever 22 does not operate during the shift the final operation of clutch 31!. is relied upon to rock the stopping arm 24. For this purpose a cam 312 (Fig. '7) fast with the driven element of clutch 31! has engagement with an anti-friction roller mounted on a follower 455, said follower in turn having engage.- ment with a shoulder of the link 424 which, as previously described, is connected with arm 24. Therefore during the final operation of clutch 31! arm 24 will be reciprocated, and the cam portion I45 of said arm will disengage the main clutch, and pawl 25 will be reengaged with trigger-3I.

The toggle links 362 will be returned to their normal position during the final operation of clutch 31! by means of a cam 39!, fastwith the driven element of said clutch, said ca'ni engaging an anti-friction roller mounted on the bell crank lever 44 I, whereby bell crank lever 440, link '316 and toggle links 362 will be positively returned to normal position, and detent 442 allowed to engage the clutch dog and disengage clutch 31 I.

Key coupling control The coupling I21 (Fig. 7) is provided in order that the primary clutch III, I65 may be disengaged while any one of the operation keys 52!], I2!, 369, 316 is held depressed by the operator. The necessity for this may occur in non-repeat operations of known character; in the course of a division operation; when the register carriage 2 has been shifted into either extreme position; or when said carriage is arrested by means of a tabulator stop, in known manner. Under any of these conditions, the trigger 3! willbe tripped by means not shown, or arm 24 will be otherwise operated to disengage the clutch, setting plate I28 being returned idly to its normal position, while rook shaft I25, I 25a remains in operative position, as provided for by the release of coupling I21.

Coupling I21 is released by the operation of a lever I16 ful-crumed upon a framing at I1I, having yieldable connection by means of a link I 12 with the rearward clutch releasing extension of stopping arm 24. Link I12 is connected with lever I16 by a slot and pin engagement, the parts being held in pivotal relation to each other by a spring I13. Lever I10 is provided with a pin overlying arearward arm of coupling I21. Thus, normally, during each stopping operation, coupling I21 will first be released and thereafter the primary clutch will be disengaged.

When, however, the plus bar I26 or minus bar I2! is depressed before a carriage shift has been completed, couplin I21 will remain unbroken, so that at the end of the cycle arm 24 will be driven; forwardly and returned to normal position, whereby pawl 25 will be elevated out of engagement with rock lever 22; the primary clutch will be reengaged, and the plus Or minus registration effected.

To effect this it is necessary to disable the coupling disengaging lever I16 and in order to prevent kicking back of the key by arm 24 it is preferable to allow the setting plate I28 to yield temporarily. Lever I10 is disabled by means of a blocking arm I14, fixed upon a, shaft I15 which extends across the machine and is provided at its opposite end with a fixed arm I16 (Fig.1) having spring connection I11 with the framing of the machine, spring I11 serving to bias arm I14 into blocking relation with lever I16. Blocking arm I14 is held out of blocking position by means of a cam 33!, fast with the shift controlling clutch 31!, the cam being moved into releasing position during the preliminary operation of said clutch. Upon release by cam 39! blocking arm i14 will be held out of operation, during the depression of the shift key 369 or 316, by means of a pin H8 fixed in the lever 368, engaging arm I16. Upon release of the shift key, the forward arm of lever 368 will rise and the blocking arm I14 will be released.

If the shift key is released during the shifting cycle, spring I11 will rock blocking arm I14 counterclockwise as viewed in Fig. '7, and the lug on the forward end of said arm will be positioned in the path of movement of lever I14, so that upon movement of the stopping arm 24 7'. the connection I I2, I13 will yield and coupling I21 will not be broken. At the end of the shift ing operation, clutch 3' will be reengaged and cam 39I will remove blocking arm I14 from engagement with lever I'Ill.

'Ihe yielding of settin plate I28, above referred to, is provided for by making shaft I25, I 25a in two sections, as seen in Fig. 2, the sections being connected by a spring I19 so that the two sections of the shaft normally operate as one, but may yield when the clutch lever III is centralized by the operation of arm 24 if coupling I2'I remains unbroken. Upon release of clutch lever III in the return movement of arm 24, spring I19 will realign the sections of shaft I25, I25a, rocking'plate I28 and thereby mov-- ing clutch lever III again into clutch engaging position to initiate registration.

Since the plus or minus bar I28, I2I may be depressed during the shifting of the register carriage 2 toward the right or toward the left, means are provided to prevent reversal of clutch lever III from'plus'to minus or from minus to plus operatingposition in mid-cycle. For this purpose a latch I88 (Fig. 6) is pivotallyconnected with a lever I8I fulcrumed upon the pivot stud of arm 24, and guided by contact'with a, stud fixed in the frame of the machine. Latch I88 has a lug I82 which overlies lug I83 of clutch lever III when said lever stands in its neutral position. Upon movement of clutch lever III in either direction into clutch engaging position, lug I83 will move away from lug I82 and a spring I84 will move latch I88 downward, bringing lug I82 into latching engagement with one'ofthe side faces of lug I83.

Lever I8! has an upper extension providedwith a lug I85 overlying the rearward extension of arm 24. Lug I85 will be contacted upon movement of said arm in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 6, at theconclusion of the final cycle of registration or of carriage shifting, when lever ISI will be rocked clockwise and lug I82 elevated out of restraining engagement with lug I83,'so that clutch lever III may be centralized.

Since blocking arm I'M is efiective to prevent confusion only during the performance of a carriage shift, interlock means are provided to prevent similar confusio'n during a registering cycle. Two erroneous operations must be prevented by this interlocking means, first, the depression of the plus bar I28 during a minus registering cycle or the depression of minus bar i2i during a plus registering cycle, and second, the depression of a shift key during a registering cycle. Both of these interlocks are controlled by the locating cam I53, and are inactive during shifting cycles. A pair of spring connected lockin pawls I88 (Fig. 1) are pivotally mounted on the framing of the machine, beneath the plus and minus ibars I28, I2I, these pawls being held out of engagement with the stems of these keys by means of extension I81 of the locator follower arm 422. Upon movement of locator cam I53 following depression of the plus and minus'bar pawls I85 will be released and that one of the pawls which stands below the key which has not been depressed will be rocked into position under said key, thereby preventing depression thereof until the operation is concluded and follower arm 422 is restored to normal position. Means for locking the shift keys 369, 318 during a calculating operation consists in a pin I 88 mounted in an extension of follower arm 422a. Upon dis- 8. placement of arm 422a by locator cam I53 pin I88 will be brought in contact with the rear armof lever 388, thereby holding said lever and the keys '369, 318 against displacement, until arm 422a is released at the end of the registering operation.

I claim:

1. In a motor driven calculating machine having a clutch, a plurality of operation keys, an operation controlling train common to said keys and acting to maintain engagement of said clutch in response to key depression, a coupling in said train displaceable to break the connection be' tween the keys and the clutch, an operation stopping means responsive to manual release of any of said keys to disengage said clutch; a lever having yieldable connection with the stopping means and operable thereby to displace said cou-' pling, and a normally inactive blocking arm responsive to depression and release of one of said keys to prevent operation of the displacing lever.

2. A motor driven calculating machine according to claim 1, wherein the operation controlling train includes two members and a yieldable spring connection between said members, whereby release of the clutch is permitted with an operation key held manually depressed and the coupling engaged.

3. In a motor driven calculating machine having a clutch, a plurality of operation keys including an auxiliary key, an operation controlling train common to said keys and acting to maintain engagement of said clutch in response to key depression, a coupling in said train displaceable to break the connection between the keys andthe clutch, operation stopping means responsive to manual release of any of said keys to disengage said clutch, and a. lever havin yieldable connection with the stopping means operable thereby to displace said coupling; a spring biased blocking arm operable to prevent operation of the displacing lever, a power driven operation controlling means responsive to depression of said auxiliary operation key, a cam normally holding the blocking arm inactive and movable by said operation controlling means to release said arm, and connections between the auxiliary operation key and the blocking arm acting to hold said arm inactive during depression of said key.

4. A motor driven calculating machine according to claim 3, in which the operation keys include a registration key, and having power driven operation controlling means responsive to depression of said registration key; the provision of an interlocking arm movable by said registration controlling means to prevent depression of the auxiliary key.

5. In a motor driven calculating machine having a driving train, a selectively engageable direction determining clutch in said train including a member movable in opposite directions from neutral disengaged position, an operation stopping means including a releasing arm having cam engagement with the movable clutch member and operable to restore said member to neutral position, a plurality of operation keys, and an operation controlling train common to said keys and including a spring element acting to bias the movable clutch member in one or in the other direction in accordance with the key depressed; a spring operatedlatchengageable with the movable clutch member to hold the same in either engaged position, and a lever operable by the clutch releasingarm to release said latch.

6. A motor driven calculating machine according to claim 5, wherein a coupling is provided in the operation controlling train displaceable to break the connection. between the keys and the clutch, and wherein the operation stopping means is responsive to manual release of any of said operation keys; the provision of a lever having yieldable connection with the stopping means and operable thereby to displace said coupling, and a normally inactive blocking arm responsive to depression and release of one of said keys to prevent operation of the displacing lever.

'7. In a motor driven calculating machine having a clutch, a plurality of operation keys, an operation controlling train common to said keys and acting to maintain engagement of said clutch in response to key depression, a coupling in said train displaceable to break the connection between the keys and the clutch, an operation stopping means responsive to manual release of any of said keys to disengage said clutch; a pivotally mounted member having yieldable connection with the stopping means and operable thereby to displace said coupling, and a normally inactive member responsive to depression and release of one of said keys and efiective to cause yielding of said yieldable connection to prevent operation of said displacing member.

HERMAN GANG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Wicks Nov. 12, 1940 

